Fred Arnold Applegate

Fred Arnold Applegate, 68, of Rockford, Illinois, passed away Friday, May 20 at home surrounded by family. Fred was born March 8, 1954 in the town of Jacksonville, Illinois. Fred attended Guilford High School and graduated in the class of 1972. In 1978, he married Nancy Mae Condon in Rockford, IL.


Both during and after high school, Fred worked at Uncle John’s Restaurant on State Street in Rockford, which is where he discovered his passion for cooking. After high school, Fred owned the bowling alley in Pecatonica for a while. He then went on to work at the Chrysler Plant in Belvidere, until he retired in 2009 after 32 years of service. After retirement, Fred became a highly educated apiculturist (beekeeper); he loved sharing honey with all and educating others on beekeeping.


Fred was a gentle and gracious man. An avid outdoorsman, he enjoyed biking, camping, gardening, fishing, and most of all, golfing. He was a skilled wood worker and any project was never too big. He was a hard worker and instilled this same work ethic in each of his children. Fred was an amazing chef, devoted family man, and during retirement, spent much of his time and energy taking care of family members, including his mother, Cleo, and father-in-law, Thomas Condon.

In 2017, Fred was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, and Nancy was by his side every step of the way. During the last several years while Fred was battling bone cancer, he never complained about a thing. He is survived by his wife – Nancy Applegate; three children – Jason Applegate, Daniel (Erica) Applegate, Laura (Ryan) McGuckin; four grandchildren – Tylar Applegate, Lanie McGuckin, Lana Applegate, and Molly Applegate; two sisters – Anita Stanfill and Betty (Jim) Krieg. He is preceded in death by his parents, Rexford Arnold and Cleo Mae (Rodenhouser) Applegate, and brother-in-law, Jerry Stanfill.


The family would like to give special thanks to Dr. McFarland and the entire team of professionals at UW Madison Cancer Center for their care and compassion.


Memorial service will be held at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, June 9th, 2022, in Anderson Gardens. 318 Spring Creek Rd. Rockford, IL 61107. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Applegate Family who will be purchasing a memorial bench in Fred’s honor. To send online condolences or share memories, please visit www.fitzgeraldfh.com